Display driving architectures

• US 9,129,396 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2015
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Avkarogullari, Gokhan, Harper, John, Shaffer, Joshua H., Yepez, Roberto G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Richer, Joni
• Application Number:
  US14/601,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20150138215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 231 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/92 based on global image properties
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/06 Colour space transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04

Abstract

A display driving architecture that can include two graphics pipelines with an optional connection between them to provide a mirrored mode. In one embodiment, one of the two pipelines can be automatically configured (e.g. routed in one of a plurality of ways, such as routing to do color conversion) based upon the type of cable that is coupled to a connector of the one pipeline. In another embodiment, a connection of a cable can cause display information (e.g. resolutions of an external display) to be provided to an application which can select a display mode while one of the graphics pipelines is kept in a low power state.

Claims

1. A data processing system comprising:

a graphics processor coupled to memory;

a first display pipeline configured to be coupled to a first display device at a first end of the first display pipeline and coupled to the memory at a second end of the first display pipeline;

a second display pipeline being configured to drive a second display device, and coupled to the memory at an end of the second display pipeline; and

a connection between the first display pipeline and the second display pipeline to bypass the second display pipeline, the connection to provide a mirrored mode to display an image on the first display device and on the second display device through the first display pipeline.

2. The data processing system as in claim 1, wherein the first display pipeline comprises a first compositing apparatus to composite decoded video content with other display content, and wherein the second display pipeline comprises a second compositing apparatus to composite decoded video content with other display content, and wherein the first display pipeline and the second display pipeline are configured to provide different display data to the first display device and the second display device respectively when the data processing system is in a non-mirrored mode.

3. The data processing system as in claim 2, wherein the first display pipeline further comprises a first dither component to perform a dither operation on the decoded video content, a first scaler to perform a scaling operation on the decoded video content, and a first programmable color space converter to convert the decoded video content from a first color space to a second color space, and wherein the second display pipeline comprises a second dither component, a second scaler and a second programmable color space converter.

4. The data processing system as in claim 2, wherein the connection comprises a switch configured to be switched between the mirrored mode and the non-mirrored mode and wherein when the data processing system is in the non-mirrored mode, the first compositing apparatus and the second compositing apparatus are configured to composite video concurrently, and wherein the data processing system is an embedded device having a wireless transceiver and a touch screen input device integrally coupled to the first display device.

5. The data processing system as in claim 1, further comprising:

a gamma correction component coupled between the first display pipeline and the first display device, the gamma correction component to perform a gamma correction operation on output of the first display pipeline.

6. The data processing system as in claim 1 wherein the data processing system includes a wireless transceiver and a touch screen input device that is integrally coupled to the first display device.

7. A machine implemented method comprising:

displaying, from memory, a first image on first display device of a data processing system through a first display pipeline;

when the data processing system is in a non-mirrored mode, displaying a second image on a second display device through a second display pipeline; and

when the data processing system is in a mirrored mode, displaying, from the memory, the first image on the first display device and concurrently on the second display device through a connection between the first display pipeline and the second display pipeline, while bypassing the second display pipeline.

8. The machine implemented method as in claim 7, wherein displaying the first image on the first display device through the first display pipeline comprises compositing, by the first display pipeline, decoded video content with other display content and wherein displaying the second image on the second display device through the second display pipeline comprises compositing, by the second display pipeline, decoded video content with other display content.

9. The machine implemented method as in claim 8, further comprising:

switching between the mirrored mode and the non-mirrored mode, wherein when the data processing system is in the non-mirrored mode, the first display pipeline and the second display pipeline are configured to composite content concurrently.

10. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising the machine implemented method as in claim 9.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising the machine implemented method as in claim 7.

12. An electronic device having a mirrored mode and a non-mirrored mode, the electronic device comprising:

a first display device coupled to a first display pipeline;

a second display device coupled to a second display pipeline;

a connection between the first display pipeline and the second display pipeline to bypass the second display pipeline;

one or more processors coupled to memory, the one or more processors to display, from the memory, a first image on the first display device through the first display pipeline and display a second image on the second display device through the second display pipeline when the electronic device is in the non-mirrored mode; and

wherein the one or more processors are further to display, from the memory, the first image on the first display device and concurrently on the second display device through the connection between the first display pipeline and the second display pipeline.

13. The device as in claim 12, wherein the first display device is an internal display device.

14. The device as in claim 12, wherein the second display device is an external display device.

15. The device as in claim 12, further comprising a gamma correction component coupled between the first display pipeline and the first display device, the gamma correction component to perform a gamma correction operation on output of the first display pipeline.

16. The device as in claim 12, wherein the electronic device is an embedded device having a wireless transceiver and a touch screen input device integrally coupled to the first display device.

17. The device as in claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are to composite, by a first compositing apparatus of the first display pipeline, decoded video content with other display content to display the first image on the first display device.

18. The device as in claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are to composite, by a second compositing apparatus of the second display pipeline, decoded video content with other display content to display the second image on the second display device.

19. The device as in claim 18, wherein the connection between the first display pipeline and the second display pipeline is configured to be switched between the mirrored mode and the non-mirrored mode, the first compositing apparatus and the second compositing apparatus configured to composite video concurrently while the connection is switched to the non-mirrored mode.